Top 5 Greatest Coach Meltdowns of All Time

Penn State Basketball Coach Patrick Chambers, above, got uSports thinking: head coaches have to be emotionally balanced at all times or their aggression could go viral. Well, what about the times the cameras were able to catch these coaches explode: as a result, we have put together a list of the top 5 greatest coach meltdowns of all time in any sport.

5) John Chaney vs. John Calipari

Many people remember John Chaney as the stand up Hall of Fame coach of Temple University’s basketball team: over his career he secured 741 wins, a .704 winning percentage and a NCAA Division II Championship. But a lot of people also remember when he threatened to kill UMass head coach John Calipari. The argument started over the way Calipari treated the referees: and when the Temple coach confronted him, a scuffle ensued. The most memorable aspect was when Chaney yelled, “I’ll kill you” and “when I see you, I’m going to kick your ass.”

4) Lou Piniella’s Fight with Player Rob Dibble (NSFW)

To be honest, you could put half of Lou Pinella’s career on this list: including the multiple times he kicked dirt at the umpires or picked up a base and threw it. But perhaps the most shocking was when he fought Rob Dibble in the clubhouse after a game: it all started when Piniella said he did not use Dibble because of his shoulder, which the star player responded by calling his manager a liar. Of course, Lou, who has always been known for his explosive temper, went right after the towering reliever for dong this, resulting in a short melee that was broken up by the team.

3) Bob Knight Throws a Chair

Many now know Knight as a college basketball commentator on ESPN, forgetting that he was once the most feared coach in the league. And probably his most iconic meltdown is when Bob Knight received a technical foul for cursing. So instead of sitting and calming down, he proceeded to pick up his chair and throw it towards the free throw line. This of course resulted in his second technical, but he was far from done. He then continued to argue resulting in his third tech, where he was finally thrown out of the game.

2) Woody Hayes Punches Opposing Player

In another iconic incident, during the 1978 Gator Bowl, a brawl erupted when Ohio State’s head coach Woody Hayes threw a punch at an opposing player: thus ending his long and illustrious coaching career. The melee started when a Clemson d-lineman intercepted a pass and ran it back, where he eventually got hit into Ohio State’s sideline. When the player got up to celebrate, Hayes was already in his face throwing the punch: making many wonder why and what caused Woody Hayes to ruin his career?

1) Philip Wellman Loses His Mind

A former minor league player for life and now coach, Phillip Wellman, became a household name when his on the field tirade went viral. In the video, the Mississippi Braves manager argued with the umpire over the ejection of his pitcher: soon the coach was ejected and the resulting meltdown is the greatest to have ever been captured on camera. He proceeded to kick dirt on the umpires, draw a new larger strike zone at home plate, pick up and throw the bases, army crawl and throw the rosin bag at the ump like it was a grenade and finally he threw the officials out before giving the fans a farewell kiss. My main question is did he rehearse or was this a spur of the moment thing?

Article by Anthony Falco